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What do Atheists believe the Bible as?
July 17, 2011 at 11:46 am
Time and time again, I hear that the Bible is wrong and a tool to brainwash. Me, being a Christian, don't fully understand the atheist's position. What do you believe about the Bible? Was it created for brainwashing people? Or was it created by people who truly believed that they were influenced by a god when there is none?
I personally believe that it is the word of God, and it's the only word of God we can base Christianity on.
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RE: What do Atheists believe the Bible as?
July 17, 2011 at 11:56 am
(This post was last modified: July 17, 2011 at 11:56 am by The Grand Nudger.)
While it would be impossible to know exactly what the authors/compilers believed, it's not a difficult stretch to assume that some were devout believers, some were seeking power or wealth, and yet more were misunderstood. There are also the contributions of printers and editors who do not believe, and still manage to help keep the bible alive and well. The bible is many things, one of the least likely things it could be, is the word of god. The reasons and arguments against the bible (and all religious texts) as truth are varied. It would be easier if you were to explain why you feel that it is the word of god. Show us how you came to that conclusion. Much better starting point.
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RE: What do Atheists believe the Bible as?
July 17, 2011 at 11:58 am
It was a collection of thoughts which slowly aggragated into a support device for a continuing movement and in so doing, became sacrosanct.
Really, though, all it is is an anthology.
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RE: What do Atheists believe the Bible as?
July 17, 2011 at 12:03 pm
(July 17, 2011 at 11:46 am)TheCarlisle Wrote: Was it created for brainwashing people? Or was it created by people who truly believed that they were influenced by a god when there is none?
A bit of both really. Leaders from all factions have pretty much relied on religion to control the population. The people really believed it, leaders saw the advantages of it.
It is for the most part, control.
Believing it was 'divinely inspired' doesn't make it so. You are pretty much taking their word for it, and you gotta have awfully low standards to accept such things purely on word of mouth.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence - Carl Sagan
Mankind's intelligence walks hand in hand with it's stupidity.
Being an atheist says nothing about your overall intelligence, it just means you don't believe in god. Atheists can be as bright as any scientist and as stupid as any creationist.
You never really know just how stupid someone is, until you've argued with them.
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RE: What do Atheists believe the Bible as?
July 17, 2011 at 12:14 pm
(July 17, 2011 at 11:46 am)TheCarlisle Wrote: Time and time again, I hear that the Bible is wrong and a tool to brainwash. Me, being a Christian, don't fully understand the atheist's position. What do you believe about the Bible? Was it created for brainwashing people? Or was it created by people who truly believed that they were influenced by a god when there is none?
I personally believe that it is the word of God, and it's the only word of God we can base Christianity on.
Its a book writen by commitee.
You can fix ignorance, you can't fix stupid.
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RE: What do Atheists believe the Bible as?
July 17, 2011 at 12:36 pm
Op. If people said the same thing these days, that god told them this so it's true, they spoke to god etc, they would be put in a funny farm. Why, when it was written 1850 years ago should we think these people any different. Either poor people suffering delusions, or, conniving shits wanting to control others.
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RE: What do Atheists believe the Bible as?
July 17, 2011 at 12:39 pm
(This post was last modified: July 17, 2011 at 12:40 pm by TheCarlisle.)
(July 17, 2011 at 12:03 pm)Ace Otana Wrote: A bit of both really. Leaders from all factions have pretty much relied on religion to control the population. The people really believed it, leaders saw the advantages of it.
It is for the most part, control.
Believing it was 'divinely inspired' doesn't make it so. You are pretty much taking their word for it, and you gotta have awfully low standards to accept such things purely on word of mouth.
On top of believing in these people's words, there is archaeological evidence that support those words. For example, it has been proven that Egyptians had Hebrew slaves, there were the plagues as mentioned in the Bible, and the Hebrew slaves were either freed (a very unlikely scenario) or left by means of war. There is no evidence of a war or uprising by the slaves, so they must have been freed. But why would the Egyptians free their slaves around the same time as the plagues?
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RE: What do Atheists believe the Bible as?
July 17, 2011 at 12:42 pm
Uh oh. Here we go again ...
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RE: What do Atheists believe the Bible as?
July 17, 2011 at 12:44 pm
Indeed, if people back then claimed such things now, think you'll find that no one would take them seriously. It was written in a time long before the scientific method. Back in a time period where superstition was strong and no one dared question. People, who knew very little of the natural world. Very little of anything in fact. So, it would of been pretty easy to sway minds back then. Simple tricks and illusions were considered witchcraft just a few hundred years ago. Executions were common.
There is a reason why we don't take words from such uneducated people back then seriously, because they knew no better.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence - Carl Sagan
Mankind's intelligence walks hand in hand with it's stupidity.
Being an atheist says nothing about your overall intelligence, it just means you don't believe in god. Atheists can be as bright as any scientist and as stupid as any creationist.
You never really know just how stupid someone is, until you've argued with them.
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RE: What do Atheists believe the Bible as?
July 17, 2011 at 12:46 pm
(This post was last modified: July 17, 2011 at 12:48 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
Carlisle, present your evidence for Exodus. While you're at it, heres an article from a Rabbi that may help to ease the loss of this conviction for you
http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Judaism/...appen.aspx
I also feel that I may have to mention that there are innumerable works of fiction that give alternative histories for events that actually occurred. Is this proof then that god spoke through the authors?
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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